Former East Feliciana coroner found guilty in corruption trial
BATON ROUGE - Former East Feliciana Parish coroner Laura DeJohn was found guilty Wednesday after she failed to maintain public records. The WBRZ Investigative Unit has reported on this extensively where DeJohn told us she operated her office on a "verbal basis" and kept no written records.
DeJohn was convicted on counts of filing and maintaining false public records and conspiracy to file and maintain false public records.
DeJohn was arrested in March 2017 and charged with malfeasance in office, criminal conspiracy, and injuring public documents. Earlier this year, DeJohn pleaded not guilty to those charges.
Her attorney John McLindon asked jurors not to find DeJohn guilty, saying she gave her assistant permission to sign her name. He said that was not a crime.
Jurors did not agree.
WBRZ previously reported that DeJohn submitted fraudulent billing invoices for unlicensed medical services. She billed the East Baton Rouge Coroner's Office for CEC's, or Coroner Emergency Certificates.
Dr. Beau Clark testified Wednesday that he refused to pay them.
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DeJohn's sentencing is scheduled for May 4.